"Melo had some pretty good looks, but it was the defense that held us in there, and that is how it has to be," Knicks coach Mike Woodson said. "When you are struggling to make shots you better damn sure make sure that they're not making them. Tonight, in the second half, we were as solid as we've been all year from a defensive standpoint."

It was the Knicks first Game 1 victory at home since 2001.

"Although we won today, we didn't really do anything," Anthony said. "We protected our home court and got our first win. Game 2 is going to be even tougher and harder. We have to keep that mentality."

After allowing 53 points in the first half, the Knicks intensified its defense. New York held Boston to 25 points and 29.5% shooting in the second half, including eight points and 27.3% shooting in the fourth quarter as it eliminated a deficit and pulled away down the stretch riding Anthony's hot hand.

"When we play defense like that, get out in transition and get easy baskets, the game opens up for us," Anthony said.

He finished with a game-high 36 points and scored eight points in the final 7:49.

Consecutive baskets midway through the fourth quarter broke a 72-72 tie and gave the Knicks a 76-72 lead, and his layup after a steal put New York up 81-76 with 2:31 left in the game. A long two-pointer with 1:21 left made it 83-76.

"When he had to pick it up down the stretch, he made the plays we needed him to make," Woodson said. "That's what the great ones do, they figure out. Melo's done that all season."

Indeed, Anthony, the 2012-13 scoring champion at 28.7 points per game, has provided the Knicks with offense all season.

But after New York's game against the Indiana Pacers last Sunday, Woodson admitted the one thing he hasn't asked Anthony to do most of the season was guard the opposing team's potent scorers. There's a reason for that. It saps a player to score a high level on one end and defend at a high level on the other end.

However, Woodson said after the Pacers game, "When we get in a playoff series, he'll have to do that. He can take that challenge because he's capable of guarding pretty much anybody on the floor."

After Green torched the Knicks for 20 points in 21 minutes in the first half, Anthony accepted Woodson's challenge and fought through his shooting slump in the middle of the game.

"They were shots I would normally make," Anthony said. "It happened, but I didn't let it get to me or bother me. Like I said, we have to get back on the defensive end."

Anthony made that commitment. Green scored just six points in the second half on 1-of-5 shooting. He took just one shot in the fourth quarter as the game slipped away from the Celtics.

"We changed up coverages," Woodson said. "Melo covered him most of the second half. I thought he did an excellent job on him."

New York's sometimes stagnant offense â?? too much dribbling, too much one-on-one isolation â?? coupled with lackadaisical defense in the first half gave the seventh-seeded Celtics an ex-champion's chance.

"We had bad turnovers, and when you have those turnovers in any game, you should probably lose the game, and we did," Rivers said.

Those extra possessions led to 20 points off of turnovers and 12 second-chance points for the Knicks.

"That's too much," Celtics forward-center Kevin Garnett said

Celtics forward Paul Pierce, who had 21 points, was disappointed. Of the turnovers, Pierce said, "Some were forced. Some were just bonehead plays. We've got to have better execution. â?¦ Everyone has to get to their spots (and) understand when we get to the fourth quarter, everyone has to be on the same page. Games are too big at this point for us to not be at that point, especially in the playoffs down the stretch."

The Celtics left Madison Square Garden unhappy with their offensive execution.

"We turned the ball over a ton, and I thought our spacing was horrendous in the second half," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "I thought we stopped trusting a little bit offensively. Each guy held the ball and tried to make their own play. That's not who we are. We can't be that way and we tried to play that way in the second half. I really couldn't get them out of it either. That was disappointing.

Game 2 is Tuesday in New York (8 p. m. ET, TNT), and Rivers said much of what went wrong can be corrected.

"I saw a lot of things we can do, and we have to do it," Rivers said.

Garnett had just eight points on 4-of-12 shooting. "Just didn't make shots. We didn't get him the ball in the right spots and again and I thought we allowed them to guard Kevin with our spacing," River said. "I was really disappointed in how we spaced the floor, and we can fix that."

Boston's bench scored just four points -- all on Courtney Lee free throws. Guards Jason Terry, Jordan Crawford and Lee, the only reserves to play for the Celtics, were a combined 0-for-7 from the field. Terry missed four three-pointers.

"Our bench has to give us something," Rivers said. "Jet (Terry) obviously didn't have a lot tonight. ... Jordan Crawford is going to have to give us more, and he didn't because we didn't play him enough. Our starters have to play well for us to win this series, and their starters have to play well. It's going to be that type of series."

Boston went back to their hotel pleased about one aspect of the game. The Celtics held the Knicks to just 85 points and 40.5% shooting. In a game with 11 ties and 11 lead changes, the Celtics felt they had a chance to steal Game 1.

"If you told me before the game they were going to score 85 points and shoot 40% from the field and we're going to shoot a higher percentage, I'd take it," Rivers said.

Added Garnett: "We couldn't put the ball in the basket, but on the road, down two at times, still having the chance to win, I like that. But we have to go the film and apply some things and get ready for Game 2."